Introduction: Usually, in every corner of this world where the idea of nationalism has flourished, parties, associations, organizations, and prominent figures have followed suit. These groups have played an important role in the development of this process. Nationalism in Turkey has also undergone a similar evolution, progressing through various stages. In this part of the research, we aim to introduce the leaders of nationalism in Turkey, along with the parties and associations that attempted to promote it.
Leaders of Pan-Turkism
Data shows that many people have played a role in the development of Pan-Turkism, striving to bring it to fruition. Even today, after many years, this phenomenon is clearly observable among the Turks. In this article, we will introduce some of the most notable figures associated with this movement.
Ziya Gök Alp
One of the key figures who sought to revive Turkish and Turanian nationalism is Ziya Gök Alp. He made significant efforts to propagate this phenomenon, wrote books, and preached widely. Ziya Gök Alp aimed to create a new Turkey that would serve as a bridge between the Ottoman Turks and the Turanians of the past.
Ziya Gök Alp (1874-1924) was born in a city predominantly inhabited by Kurds in southeastern Anatolia—Diyarbakir. He was essentially self-taught, becoming one of the prominent figures in the Pan-Turkism movement in the early 20th century. The growth of nationalism in Turkey and the formation of Pan-Turkism cannot be discussed without acknowledging Ziya Gök Alp, one of its founders and initiators.
He is often referred to as the father of new Turkish nationalism and was one of the foremost thinkers of his time. He wrote nearly 300 articles published in various publications during the turbulent years of 1908-1921. Ziya Gök Alp was an intellectual of the late Ottoman Empire, straddling the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Ziya Gök Alp (1291-1343 AH/1874-1924 AD) is recognized as one of the most significant Westernized thinkers and theorists in Turkey during this period. In contrast to “pan-Islamism,” he believed that Turkish nationalism and the full adoption of Western civilization were essential for breaking the chains of ignorance and oppression faced by the Turkish nation. Gök Alp, like Taha Huseyin, claimed that his nation belonged more to Europe than to the Islamic world. For this reason, he argued that Turkey should sever all its cultural, intellectual, and social ties with the East and instead connect with the West. Gök Alp insisted that not only technology and industrial products be adopted but also the spirit, system, and values of the West. He believed that old and traditional values should be abandoned while simultaneously reviving Turkish “nationality,” “pan-Turkism,” and the ancient myths and legends of the Turkish people.
Allama Sayyed Abul Hasan Nadwi, in his book “What the World Lost in the Decline of the Muslims,” quotes Şhakib Arsalan stating: “There is a second group in Turkey who, unlike the first group that emphasizes the ethnicity of the Ottoman Turks, claim to be Turanians. Among the most notable figures of this group are Ziya Gök Alp, Ahmed Aghayev, and Yusuf Akşura, the latter two having come to Turkey from Russia. Along with them, individuals such as Jalal Sahir, Yahya Kamal, Hamdullah Sobhi (the head of Turk Bordi), Muhammad Amin Beg (a folk poet), and numerous writers, thinkers, students, and the new generation support this faction. They assert that the Turks are among the oldest, most original, and most progressive civilizations and essentially the same as the Mongols. According to their perspective, the Turks should return to their origins, which they term the Turanian society. Contrary to the views of the ancients, this group believes: ‘The Turks are first Turks and then Muslims.’ Their slogan promotes irreligion, promiscuity, and the subjugation of Islamic society unless such service furthers the agenda of Turanian nationalism; in this case, Islam becomes merely a means, not an ultimate goal.”
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
A new chapter in Turkish history began with the end of World War I and the ensuing disputes between nationalists and the government. Mustafa Kemal emerged as the leader of the nationalists, striving to safeguard territorial integrity and national independence. Following the War of Independence and the signing of the Lausanne Peace Treaty, he became a symbol of Turkish national resistance.
Atatürk became an instrument in the hands of those opposed to Islam, initiating a fierce struggle against it. To implement Western plans, Atatürk translated the Quran into Turkish and distributed the translation among the populace in 1932. He also mandated that the call to prayer (Azan) be in Turkish.
With the conclusion of the war and the departure of the Pashas from the Committee of Union and Progress, which marked the end of the Young Turks, a new opportunity arose for a different figure in the power landscape. This individual was destined to declare the end of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of the Turkish Republic, as well as the abolition of the Caliphate—Mustafa Kemal, who later became known as “Atatürk.”
However, the Western powers that elevated him to power were not satisfied with just the establishment of a republic. They sought the total eradication of Islam from the region and issued numerous edicts, each of which promoted nationalism and contradicted Islamic principles.
The author of the book “Nationalism from the Perspective of Islam” writes about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the crises he triggered for Turkey by abolishing the Islamic Caliphate: “What occurred is the result of a person who appeared outwardly Muslim but was inwardly a follower of Satan and an unyielding servant of America and the West. He was a nationalist who prioritized national sentiments over religious beliefs, a true nationalist. From the nationalists’ viewpoint, Atatürk is a hero because he successfully separated Islam from Turkish nationality.”
After taking control of the government, he signed a treaty called “Lausanne” with British and French colonialists. Britain stipulated that it would withdraw its forces from Turkey only if the following conditions were met:
1. The abolition of the Islamic Caliphate, the expulsion of the Caliph from Turkey, and the confiscation of his property.
2. Turkey’s commitment to suppress any movement supporting the Islamic Caliphate.
3. The complete severance of Turkey’s connection with Islam.
4. The substitution of Islamic laws with a new civil code.
By accepting these conditions, Atatürk paved the way for the destruction of the Islamic Caliphate and the full dominance of secular nationalism.
Enthralled by the West, its laws, and programs, he did not stop there but went further. He prohibited many Islamic practices in Turkey. Below are some of these actions:
1. Cancelling Eid Al-Adha and Eid Al-Fitr and shifting the day of worship from Friday to Sunday.
2. Preventing people from performing Hajj for several years.
3. Banning the Hijab.
4. Prohibiting the Azan in Arabic and mandating its recitation in Turkish.
5. Converting the Aya Sofya Mosque into a museum and the Al-Fatih Mosque into a station.
6. Closing Islamic libraries, religious centers, and schools.
7. Severing relations with Islamic countries.
8. Changing the Arabic alphabet to Latin letters.
9. Adopting the Gregorian calendar instead of the Hijri calendar.
This extreme Turkish nationalist even went so far as to request that the British ambassador in Turkey substitute him; however, the ambassador deemed it inadvisable and declined this request.
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